Similarities
- Fish farming is done in both the countries.
- Cooperative societies for fishermen is practiced in both countries.
- Marine fishing done in both countries; similar species e.g. sardines, tuna, etc.
Differences
- In Kenya both marine and inland fishing is done while in Japan only marine fishing is carried out.
- Marine fishing is confined to Kenyan territorial waters only while in Japan marine fishing extends beyond the territorial waters up to high seas.
- The marine fisheries in Kenya have few/limited fish and species whereas in Japan, the fishing ground is richer with a variety of species.
- In Kenya, marine fishing is done on a small scale based on simple technology and use of traditional methods whereas in Japan fishing is done on a large scale based on advanced technology and use of modern fishing methods.
Management & Conservation of Fish and Fisheries
Management: – refers to the effective planning and control of fish resources and their habitats. It is done through: –
- Licensing of fishermen to control their fishing activities and to regulate their numbers.
- Banning of fishing especially when overexploitation is detected on a particular fishing ground so as to give the young fish time to mature and breed/restricting fishing to specific seasons to allow for breeding and maturing of fish. This ensures mature regeneration of fish.
- Standardizing the size of nets used in fishing to ensure only the mature fish are caught
- Intensifying research to know more about fish species, their habitats, breeding habits, food requirements, migratory behavior, and life span.
Conservation: – refers to the careful use and exploitation of fish resources to avoid overexploitation. It includes:-
- Encouraging fish farming to supplement the fish caught in natural fishing grounds/reduce overdependence on natural fisheries.
- Control of foreign fishermen by monitoring their expeditions through KWS patrols and licensing their entry into the Kenyan waters especially Indian Ocean.
- Restricting the disposal of untreated waste into the water bodies to ensure the water remains clean for survival of fish/industries to treat their wastes before disposing to water bodies.
- Improving transport system through construction of roads connecting the major fishing grounds and the markets to reduce overexploitation.
- Restocking the over fished areas using hatcheries and fingerlings obtained from Lake Basin Development Authority or overstocked grounds.
- The law of the sea that restricts fishing in the exclusive zones ensures the protection of marine fisheries from external exploitation
Uses of fish
- Provision of food rich in proteins.
- Fish bones can be used for making buttons.
- Used for making cosmetics and soap.Used for making animal feeds like chicken feeds.
- Fish fats can be used for making edible cooking oil.Fish bones and scales can be crushed to make fertilizers.Used in the making of drugs/medicine.Fish skin can be used as a leather material for making shoes, bags and belts
